RDH adopts Planetree philosophy

RANGELY — Named for the tree under which Hippocrates taught students, the Planetree care system seeks to make patients and their families, health care providers and the entire community integral parts of the cycle of healing.
Founded in 1978 as a consumer health information gathering agency and library system, the organization developed operating guidelines for patient care and even facility design as part of advanced models for participating affiliates.
This system is now incorporated in about 150 hospitals of all sizes throughout North America and Europe, including Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs.
By empowering patients through interaction and information, they become more involved with their own well-being, and caregivers are enabled to thrive by learning new varieties of treatment techniques. This program will be implemented in stages throughout 2008 as management and staff begin to receive training and mentoring in the components of the Planetree model.
The board of directors received updates on the continuing facility renovations that are underway. Clinic restrooms are finished and ADA compliant, two patient rooms have been updated, an office for the nursing manager was finished, a new area for pre-op and recovery was set apart in the treatment suite and moving the IT system and computer servers to a new room has commenced.
Since a new facility is still in the future, plans for a possible renovation of the emergency room suite will be put out for bid. This would entail moving the business offices to a new location and expanding the ER into that area.
A preliminary feasibility study is being conducted for the expansion of the Eagle Crest Center to meet the needs of the increasing senior population of the community. Grant proposals are being formulated to submit to various local, state and federal agencies to begin the fund raising process. The radiology C-Arm and hematology analyzer for the lab should arrive this month and installation will proceed as soon as possible.
The board also authorized funds to obtain a service contract for the CT scanner, since it was learned that a major uninsured breakdown could cost as much as the depreciated price of the scanner itself.
The group welcomed staff newcomers Shelly Hooper as medical records manager and Nick Goshe as chief of nursing services. Christina Becker in Human Resources will continue to serve as an election official for the 2008 board elections and plans were discussed for appointing an interim board member to replace Phillip Brown, who recently resigned from the board.
Approval was given to reinstate the employee incentive program for 2008 and the benefit will be raised to 5 percent, up from 3 percent in 2007. Stricter criteria will be in place though, since it was felt this would make personnel more proactive in reaching the overall goals.